Nuchal fold - high risk
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Topic: Nuchal fold - high risk
Posted By: JD
Subject: Nuchal fold - high risk
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 4:44pm
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Did anyone else get one of these results? The report I got says the NF thickness was 3.9mm and anything above 3mm is classed as high. The thing is I cant tell if that is really high, or just above the threshold. What would a low risk be?
For anyone who did get a high risk....did you do the other tests? Anyone here with a downs baby? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: justme
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 5:16pm
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hey JD, I don't have a downs baby but there is no way of being 100% certain.. I was told not to be concerned with this result if it comes back higher than 3mm.. (mine did too).. because more often than not the baby is completely fine & the test doesn't actually prove anything.. but what it does commonly do is - it ends up causing a whole lot of unneccessary concern & stress in a pregnancy that is more than likely normal.. All I can say is - try not to be concerned about this.. all the specialists i saw said the same thing to me. I will let you know if mine has downs or not when he arrives, as it is not too far away! all the best ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: MelanieAndBree
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 5:16pm
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On the report i got it said the thickness was 1.1mm
and thats like a 1 in 5700 chance. Which i would say is low risk. As the dr said it is a low risk at my age anyway. Also i read you can get another test done where they stick a needle into your belly or soemthing? lol sorry im not entirely sure. ------------- Melanie. Mum to Briahna Robyn, 3yrs |
Posted By: justme
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 5:20pm
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Yep, that is pretty good Melln we have so... much to worry ourselves about with our pregnancy - it can be a fretful time.. sometimes I feel that people really do just want to scare the hell out of us.. because majority of the time.. everything works out fine.. hope all is going well with you hun! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: mum2paris
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 5:25pm
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And not to completely scare the boogers outta you, but i have known cases where nothing has been picked up in a scan and baby has downs. ------------- Janine and her 2 cool chicks, Paris & Ayja 
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Posted By: justme
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 5:26pm
yep exactly.. so you never can tell .. the test does not actually prove anything.------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 5:27pm
| My SIL got a High risk result from the nucal scan calculation (she is only 24 so not high risk due to age)- dunno what the measurement was tho. She went on to have an amniocentesis - where a sample is taken from the amniotic fluid using a needle inserted through your belly button. It can tell for definate if the baby has Downes Sydrone ( and a few other disorders) and also the baby's sex. She doesnt have Downes. |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 5:54pm
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I wouldn't have thought I was high risk at 29yrs. The risk was higher than 1 in 300 and then when they add your age and everything it went to 1 in 18 which is much scaryer than 1 in 300 or whatever.
It just sort of taken me by surprise. DH and I will not terminate regardless of what was wrong with the baby...Im just not sure if I should find out for sure or forget it and get on with the pgcy  ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Freesia
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 6:12pm
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JD I'm almost the exact same age as you (to the day) and on my report the risk based on my age alone was 1 in 681. When they added in the NT thickness (2.0mm) it went down to 1 in 2463. Did they suggest that you go for further testing?
I think it would be better to know so you can start coming to terms with it and making the appropriate preparations before baby comes. -------------  
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Posted By: monster
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 6:18pm
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Sorry, this won't be of much help, but that's the reason we didn't have a 12 week scan - we wouldn't have done anything based on the results and didn't need any unnecessary worry.
I guess it depends on whether you're the sort of person who'd like to be prepared (find out more from an amnio - though there's a risk with testing), or whether you just take things as they come (relax and just keep focussing on growing bubs). The results are never definite. -------------   
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Posted By: MelanieAndBree
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 6:38pm
Thats what i was thinking lol. Couldnt remember what it was called ------------- Melanie. Mum to Briahna Robyn, 3yrs |
Kellz wrote:Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 6:45pm
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Scary stuff huh? Justme is right....there is so much to worry about in pregnancy. remember 1 in 18 chance means you have a 17 in 18 chance of a normal baby! and tests can be wrong. Amnio would tell for sure but if you are planning on carrying to term no matter what, do you really want to bother with other stress.
Something is ringing a bell somewhere in my preggy brain that you can also have a blood test that gives you more accurate indication of risk (but not absoulute) Might be worth asking your MW |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 7:33pm
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i heard at 16 weeks blood test can help identify downs too(it has a special name but I don't know what it is) ...amnio is great for definite answer..but and I don't mean to scare you there's a one in 200 chance of miscarriage( i know someone it happneed to) but most people have it and are totally fine.. ! and you do get to find out sex of baby for definite.. ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 7:46pm
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JD it could be that the measurement was hard to get for some reason. At my friend's scan they took two measurements and then went for the one that worked out smaller - so it's hardly an exact science.
I'm echoing Amber's comment - what did they recommend you do next? If they didn't give you some ideas you should definitely ask about your options. -------------  
 
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 24 July 2007 at 11:52pm
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The blood test you can have is called a triple test or maternal serum screening and it measures the levels of certain hormones in your blood. It's non invasive and can give an indication of whether bubs is likely to have downs or not, but like the nuchal thickness scan it is a screening test rather than a diagnostic, it identifies higher risk groups rather than diagnosing an individual pregnancy.
There are two diagnostics for downs, one is the amnio and the other is CVS (chorionic villus sampling). Both carry a 0.5%-2% chance of miscarriage. The amnio is a sample of amniotic fluid, the CVS is a sample of the chorionic villi which form part of the placenta. If you are considering one of these procedures your LMC should be able to refer you for counselling to help you decide whether or not you want to have the testing done and what actions you would/wouldn't take if you found out baby does have downs, and how you would cope if you didn't find out until the birth. Best of luck JD. I met a lady thru another forum who's wee man has downs and he is the most adorable little boy. She didn't know he had downs until after he was born, but he is such a sweetheart and is the light of her life. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Mama2two
Date Posted: 25 July 2007 at 12:20am
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JD, we had a larger than normal measurement at our 13 week scan and a 1 in 20 result. You do get a higher risk reading if you are closer to 30. It turned out for us that it was because the dates were slightly out and Samantha was actually 14 weeks. Apparently at that stage they are too big and it is no longer an accurate measurement as it has to be done before 13 weeks and a few days (can't remember exactly how many) at the latest. It is hard to know at that stage exactly when they were conceived so they are really guessing to an extent.
Long story short your LMC should advise you if they consider it to be an issue, but ask if you are worried. We certainly did, although like you we wouldn't have terminated either way. Try not to stress about it. Like mum2paris said a low percentage reading is not a guarantee either. All the best  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: JD
Date Posted: 25 July 2007 at 9:34am
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Thanks ladies for your replies. I am not really worried about it...more curious I guess. We are quite open to the chances of having a baby with downs.
Like Nzpiper said, we have a 1 in 17 chance of having a healthy baby. I know some dont get the test so they don't have to worry, but I think it was worth it to see the heart beat and to see the baby has 2 arms 2 legs and 1 head. 
We were told all the next steps by my mw, but I don't think we will do any of them. We don't want to risk losing the baby even if it does have downs. And plus, there isn't much you can do with the information. Its not like we will get rid of the baby (oh and my mw told me they terminate up to 20 weeks!!!! I couldn't beleive it!!!) We will just wait and see. I think we will try and look at it like we might be the lucky parents chosen out of thousands to have a downs baby ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: sally belly
Date Posted: 25 July 2007 at 10:27am
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JD, best of luck for the remainder of your pregnancy. What awesome attitudes you and DH have -------------    
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Posted By: pikelets
Date Posted: 25 July 2007 at 7:43pm
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Im similar thinking to you JD. We are going to have our first scan in a couple of weeks but mainly to make sure everything is alive and kicking for peace of mind.
Im 33yrs and if we get a high risk result, we have decided that we dont want an amnio which has a risk of miscarriage and I couldnt even think of aborting at 20 weeks! We would rather have the risk of having a downs baby - worse things in life happen. Anyway, good luck JD. I look forward to when you have your baby to see what the true result is  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
3 Angels - Dec10 / Mar11 / Dec11
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 25 July 2007 at 7:44pm
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I've decided after reading this we aren't going to have an amnio..we thought we may have to have CVS (more invasive) but we don't so I think we will skip the amnio and just have the 13 and 19 week scans :) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: 25 July 2007 at 8:58pm
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Kawwww, what makes you think you need to have tests at this stage?
After telling a few people about our results, I am surprised how many people don't get a NT scan cos they don't want uneccessary worry. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: 11111
Date Posted: 25 July 2007 at 9:59pm
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What a great attitude you have. I use to work as a nanny for a family with a little boy who has down's and he is the sweetest kid i have ever meet yes Mum and Dad have faced some pretty big challenge's he has some serious health issues as well, but he has so much to offer this world. Given the right support they can grow up to be happy healthy indepedant adult's. There is a girl in palmy who work's full time and lives on her own. Anyway good luck hun with your descion's. Oh yeah and I never had a NT scan for either of my boy's. ------------- Deborah Mum to:   
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Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 25 July 2007 at 10:19pm
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JD, I think you and your DH have such an awesome attitude, what a lucky little bubba to have such great parents.
We had our NF scan with DD because we wanted to see her (naughty, I know) but I think with the next baby we probably won't. I used to babysit a Downs girl, she was such a neat kid and out of all the kids I babysat for in my youth, she was my absolute favourite.
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 25 July 2007 at 11:03pm
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Great attitude.. I wish you all the best. We also only had our scan to see the baby.....MW did big speil about downs and deciding what we would do etc etc that it is not jsut to see baby.....but for us, we decided we would take what we were given....and we wanted to see the baby .
The other way I look at it is that we try so hard to have a healthy baby at birth....but who knows what will happen after that. If we worried about every possible condition a child could ever have....we would never get pregnant. enjoy the rest of your pregnancy....heres hoping it is a cruisy one for you. |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: 26 July 2007 at 9:30am
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Thanks girls for all your lovely comments.
After having a couple of days to let it all absorb, we are feeling quite happy about everything. I guess we are now not assuming that everything will be ok and that we will definately have a fully healthy baby. So much can happen and at least now we feel more prepared incase the baby does have some issues. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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